Eating Out vs. Eating at Home, How to Track Carbs in Both Situations
Restaurant food and home-cooked meals aren’t the same game. Tracking carbs in both situations requires different strategies. Today, We’re Covering: Why restaurant meals are way harder to estimate How to track carbs at home vs. when eating...
The episode, word for word
Hey, welcome back to Our Best T1D Year! I'm Neil Greathouse, and if you've got 5 minutes, you've got time for this podcast, whether you're meal prepping like a pro, ordering takeout for the third time this week, or staring at a restaurant menu thinking, "How many carbs are in this?"
Because today, we're talking about tracking carbs at home vs. eating out, because let's be honest, they're two totally different worlds.
At home? We measure things, check labels, and feel like we've got a decent handle on it. At restaurants? It's pure chaos. The chef's out here free-pouring maple syrup like he's a wizard, and we're left guessing between 60 or 160 carbs.
So today, we're breaking down how to track carbs in both situations, without overthinking it.
Let's be real, eating out with T1D is a science experiment.
Here's what makes it hard: No nutrition labels, I'd love to know if this pasta has 75 or 175 carbs. Hidden ingredients, That salad? Yeah, turns out the dressing is pure sugar. Portion size roulette, Is this one serving of rice or enough to feed a small village?
The biggest mistake? Guessing way too low and paying for it later.
Step 1: Look It Up Google the restaurant's nutrition info if they have it. Use apps like MyFitnessPal or CalorieKing, they often have chain restaurant data.
Step 2: Compare It to Something You Know If the restaurant doesn't have info, compare it to a similar food you've eaten before. Example: "This burrito is about the size of a Chipotle burrito, which is ~90g carbs."
Step 3: Assume the Chef's Heavy-Handed If you think it's 40g carbs, it's probably 60. If the dish is saucy, fried, or covered in glaze, bump your estimate up.
At home, we've got more control, but that doesn't mean it's easy.
Here's how to make it simple: Step 1: Check Nutrition Labels, Easy win. Step 2: Measure Smartly, No need to weigh every bite, but get a feel for serving sizes. Step 3: Use the Hand Trick,
Palm = Protein
Fist = Carbs (about 1 cup of pasta/rice)
Thumb = Fats
Biggest tip? Pre-bolus based on what you think you'll eat, not what's on your plate.
Here's the deal, tracking carbs perfectly is impossible.
But if we're even a little more intentional, we'll catch a lot of patterns we were missing.
And remember, we're not doing a bad job, we're doing a difficult job.
Even if we get it wrong sometimes, the fact that we're paying attention? That's a win.
Oh, and don't forget to fill out your March Madness bracket! Even if your strategy is just picking Duke every year like I do. (And let's be honest, that's not a bad strategy.)
Reminder! We're giving away a One Sheet Journal from Risely Health to help make tracking simple.
To get yours for free, go to the link in my bio on Instagram or TikTok and sign up at yourbestt1dyear.com.
New episodes drop every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so if you haven't yet, hit subscribe so you don't miss what's next.
Alright, see you in the next episode. Remember, we got this! Nobody remembers easy, what we're doing is pretty much incredible. I'm excited to hear about Our Best T1D Year Ever.
Week 6
14 - March 17
This is the script as read on the mic, lightly tidied for reading. Education, not medical advice. Talk to your care team before you change anything about your insulin.